The Benefits of SE™

SE™ is different...

... from traditional talk therapy in many ways. The primary focus is on the somatic response to trauma – the trapped survival energy connected to the trauma – rather than the dialogue about the trauma itself. The therapist’s goal is to help you understand how your body regulates stress and track your own “felt-sense” experience. You won’t be required to talk at great length about the trauma and risk being flooded with painful emotions and bodily reactions in the process.

Therapy sessions are typically done in a face-to-face, one-on-one format. Sessions will usually be weekly. At the start of treatment, the therapist will use the first one or two sessions to discuss your treatment goals and gather your personal history.

Therapy will be a collaborative process between you and the therapist. As you talk, both you and the therapist will observe and track how you react in terms of your bodily sensations, as well your thoughts and feelings. This will help you become more in tune with your own reactions, while increasing your tolerance for those reactions that cause distress.

In SE, shock trauma often responds well to just a few sessions. Developmental trauma, however, often requires longer treatment, and is often used in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy.

Benefits of Somatic Experiencing®

There are many potential benefits to be gained from Somatic Experiencing. They include:

• Greater ability to live fully in the present, and let go of the past

• Restoration of the body’s natural ability to self-regulate; i.e. to spontaneously return to a state of relaxation following a stressful situation (rather than getting stuck)

• Improved self-confidence

• Increased psychological resilience

• Decrease in anxiety

• Alleviation of depression

• Enhanced sense of well-being and vitality

• Sense of being empowered

• Release of emotions that had previously been suppressed or blocked

• Greater awareness of bodily reactions to stress

• Deeper and more fulfilling relationships with yourself as well as others

• Greater ability to reach your potential in life

• Increased energy

• Improved ability to trust

• Enhanced focus and concentration

• Improved mental clarity

• Sharper memory

• Decrease in or elimination of chronic physical pain

• Less prone to accidents

• Improved mind-body awareness

• Greater sense of hopefulness and optimism

• Inner peace

• Decrease in anger

• Stronger sense of mastery over your life

• Greater ability to handle stress

• Relief from troubling somatic symptoms

Advantages of Somatic Experiencing®

There are many advantages to using Somatic Experiencing as a treatment for unresolved trauma. One of the primary advantages is the reduced risk of being re-traumatized during therapy as you talk about or re-live the traumatic experience. By preventing levels of arousal from overwhelming you (through titration, pendulation, and resourcing), you’ll be more likely to stick with therapy and finally heal from the past.

Other advantages of Somatic Experiencing® include:

• A focus on the somatic response to trauma, which is often minimized or ignored in regular talk therapy

If you consider all the potential types of trauma discussed above – and especially the less obvious types of trauma – it’s easy to see that the indications for SE are quite broad. In fact, almost anyone who’s suffering from psychological distress can benefit from this particular approach to therapy.